


Unexpected

by FountainPen



Category: Paranatural (Webcomic)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, dad puckett supports his emo son, i know it's not valentines month anymore but i do what i want, ive been mega stressed so this was fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 16:21:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18237323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FountainPen/pseuds/FountainPen
Summary: Things happen to Max that are unexpected, and actually caring about the candy hearts holiday is one of them.





	Unexpected

Valentine's day was overrated. 

 

Call Max a cynic all you wanted, but he didn’t see the point in the whole ‘candy hearts and massive teddy bears’ thing.

 

Until he got to Mayview.

 

Living above a store had been unexpected. Meeting Suzy was unexpected, seeing literal  _ ghosts _ was unexpected. Befriending the Activity Club was unexpected. The amount of time Max spent with Isaac was unexpected. So wanting to actually  _ participate _ in the commercial holiday of commercial holidays was definitely unexpected.

 

So Max dragged himself downstairs on the morning of February 14th and glared at the selection of red and pink boxes as if they’d insulted him. After ten minutes of passive-aggressive browsing, Max let out a frustrated sigh and took a step back. Valentine's day was not his thing. Over the top holiday stuff was more Isaac’s deal. That thought only served to remind Max of why he was even attempting to do this in the first place.

 

Max was prepared to go back upstairs and pretend to be sick for the rest of the day until he spotted the little cloud shaped box on the bottom shelf. Weather themed candy- vegan gummies, (he’d almost forgotten to check) were displayed in all their sparkly glory on the box. Max tossed some money in the register and shoved the box into his backpack next to a cassette tape of dopey, stupid, music just before Isaac appeared in front of the automatic doors.

 

“Hey loser, here for your nerd food?” Max asked. Isaac rolled his eyes

 

“Happy Valentines to you too, and I bet you didn’t even eat breakfast.”

 

“I drank an energy drink, thanks,” Max replied.

 

“Yeah, I bet you need the sugar to keep your tiny body running.” Isaac snorted as he grabbed a Veggie-Barr Deluxe and handed Max a five.

 

“Yeah okay, string-bean.”

 

“I’m a growing boy.”

 

“You’re a growing nuisance.” Max grinned before Isaac threw the breakfast bar at his head. “Let’s go, we're gonna miss the bus.”

 

“Let’s just walk, it’s not that far,” Isaac said.

 

“Isaac it’s like twelve degrees outside.”

 

“It’s 43 you big baby, you’ll live.”

 

“I won’t be happy about it.” Max huffed, wriggling into his hoodie.

 

“You’re never happy about anything,” Isaac replied. The two grabbed their backpacks and headed out the door. Unbeknownst to Max, Dad Puckett was grinning from the window as Max dodged a snowball and chased after his friend. He’d overheard over a hundred weather jokes directed at his son’s orange spiky friend and might’ve sprung a little extra for some oddly specific vegan valentines.

* * *

 

 

“Mr. Spender, I think the club pet is trying to dissolve the couch,” Isabel said, gesturing at the Falcon-mouse that was looming over the Activity Club’s couch, drooling ectoplasm that let out a light sizzle as it hit the upholstery. 

 

“I told you, Isabel, we are not keeping that.” Mr. Spender replied absentmindedly. “Ed, if you would?”

 

“But I love Mrs.The Destroyer!” Ed pouted, pulling out his paintbrush.

 

“Ed.”

 

“Fine.” Ed huffed. Mrs. The Destroyer went down quickly, with an almost pitiful screech. Ed and Izzy watched as the spirit darted around the room before shooting inside of the couch it had just been towering over.

 

“We’ll miss you Mrs. The Destroyer.” Izzy sighed.“Rest in a couch.” Moments later the door swung open, and Isaac and Max filed into the classroom.

 

“Morning patrol’s done,” Max said, tossing his bag on the floor and hopping onto the back of the couch. “Where’s Mrs. The Destroyer?”

 

“She tooled up in the couch,” Ed replied. Max jumped away from the couch, “So technically speaking she’s still with us.”

 

“Gross,” Isaac said.

 

“You’re gross.” Izzy shot back.

 

“You’re both gross.”

 

“I will harm you physically,”  Isabel said.

“Noted.”

 

“Alright kids, let’s discuss this afternoon’s mission.” Mr. Spender said suddenly.

 

“There’s a spirit doing stuff that you want us- us meaning mostly Izzy and Ed, to punch,” Isaac said.

 

“Well, that is the simple way to put it but-”

 

“I sense a bit of bitterness, ‘zac.” Max interrupted Mr. Spender and grinned.

 

“You’re the worst,” Isaac informed him, and Mr. Sepnder quickly went over what they needed to know about the spirit and sent them off to class.

 

Max’s bag was heavy on his shoulders. He wasn’t sure if the weight was literal or metaphorical yet, but it continued to tug down on his shoulders like an anchor. This was another reason to hate valentine’s day. When was he supposed to even give the stupid thing to Isaac? Was there a set time or something for this?

 

All of Max’s English class was spent thinking and rethinking approaching his best friend while Ed tossed erasers at him in a sort of encouraging way. Ed noticed Max’s less than normal behavior and was now doing his best to annoy Max into talking, which almost worked before Starchman pulled out the Noodle.

 

Luckily Max had completely solidified a plan in his head, and the weight on his back was a little bit lighter as he grabbed his lunch and headed to lunch with his friends.

 

“So I’m like, screw you, grandpa! It’s my freaking flyswatter, and then he-” Isabel cuts off her story as Max jogs over. “Max! Did I tell you about yesterday with my grandpa and the one girl with the blue spectral energy?”

 

“Uh no not yet- but can you’ll have to tell me in a second,” Max replied, not sitting down. “Isaac, can you help me get my locker open really fast?”

 

“Uh, okay,” Isaac said around his salad.

 

“Did you try the kick?” Ed asked.

 

“Yeah, didn’t work,” Max said quickly. His mouth felt dry. Isaac took a swig out of his water bottle and followed Max out of the cafeteria, the whole way informing Max of just how hilarious it was that he couldn’t get his locker open.

 

“What’s your combination again?” Isaac asked when they were standing in front of Max’s locker.

“Oh, uh, I don’t actually need to open my locker- hold on,” Max said in a single breath. This was the stupidest thing Max had ever listened to his heart pound in his ears over. All he had to do was reach into his bag and grab the stupid valentines. “Here.”

 

Max shoved the box and cd case at Isaac as he covered his face with his hat, ears burning.

 

“Max oh my gosh, this is- thank you.” Isaac gushed rather than said. “I love it.”

 

“Um, no problem,” Max said, face still tucked beneath the brim of his hat.

  
“Well um, mine’s uh- it’s an invitation.” Isaac stumbled over his words before blurting, “D’you um, wouldyouwanttomaybegotodinnerafterthemission?”

 

“Yeah!” Max replied, taking only a moment to cringe at the squeak in his voice as he answered. “I mean, yeah, sounds good, let’s do that”

 

“Cool.”

 

“Cool.” Max nodded. Before Isaac nervously stuck out his hand. Max took it, staring intently at anything but Isaac, and they returned to their table where Ed and Isabel would tease them mercilessly for being sappy nerds.

 

* * *

 

Max would later refuse to admit it, but the rest of his school day was spent grinning like a fool while waiting for the day to end. Isabela and Ed made sure to show clear support of Max’s good mood by occasionally smiling at him and saying ‘soooo’ in the most obnoxious voices they could muster. 

 

By the time school was over and they were all piled into Spender’s car for the mission, Max was almost at his breaking point. You could only see so many candied hearts and pointed looks in a day before snapping. For Max, that involved violently assaulting Izzy with his science textbook.

 

“Ow ow- quit it!” Izzy shrieked. When Max finished his miniature tirade, Izzy grinned once again at him. “Jeez loverboy.”

 

“I will jump OUT OF THIS CAR,” Max announced and went for the door handle. Isaac tried and failed to hide the red creeping up his neck and onto his face.

 

“Max is pursuing a romantic relationship?” Mr. Spender asked from the driver’s seat, where he’d relatively succeeded in driving despite the noise level of the activity club.

 

“God hates me.” Max sighed. “I am actually, literally hated by God.”

 

* * *

The fight with the spirit, an oversized version of Mrs. The Destoyer, was a stretch less than easy. Mrs. The Destroyer was docile enough, only ever looming ominously and drooling. Her larger counterpart apparently was much less forgiving about being attacked by the group of students. Max was getting pretty tired being slammed into trees by monsters. The thing eventually did go down though, tooling up in an old soccer ball Ed punted into its general vicinity. 

 

“So, you guys wanna go to Fazoli’s for some celebratory breadsticks?” Izzy asked, juggling the soccer ball on her knees.

 

“Sorry, I’ve already got plans,” Isaac said. “Maybe next time though, I love Fazoli’s.”

 

“Uh, same. Plans wise, I mean. Fazoli’s is in my top 20 Italian places.” Max coughed.

 

“You are a monster.” Izzy shook her head while Ed grinned at Isaac. “We should probably head out now then, later dorks.”

 

“See you guy later!” Ed said. He and Izzy began trekking back toward where Mr. Spender said he’d be offering rides. “Have fun on your date!”

 

After about of indecipherable screeches from the pair, they awkwardly hiked out from the underbrush and toward their location that, until they reached, Isaac had kept secret.

 

“I feel somewhat underdressed,” Max said as he and Isaac walked in.

 

“We’re covered in dirt and leaves, Max,” Isaac replied. “No duh.”

 

“I will scream in this eating establishment.”

 

“I can’t take you anywhere, can I?” Isaac asked as they were seated by a waitress that looked more than a little miffed at the state of their hair and clothes.

 

It was after they’d ordered and Max was reprimanded for added sugar packets to his water that the light awkward tension that had settled over the two faded.

 

“Thanks again for the gifts, Max,” Isaac said.  “Though I gotta say, I didn’t peg you for the valentine's day type.”

 

“Well I’m not really, but you like that kinda stuff, and stuff,” Max said, choosing to eye the sugar packets instead of looking at Isaac. “I didn’t know if you’d like the music though.”

 

“I think I will you have a pretty good taste in music.”

 

“You said my favorite sounded like a lawnmower in a tornado, Isaac,” Max laughed, and again the conversation began to flow like it usually did. 

 

“It’s not my fault you listen to  _ ska freaking punk, _ Max,” Isaac replied.

 

“It’s soul music.”   
  


“It’s edgy.” Isaac huffed.

 

“You still listen to My Chemical Romance, so-”

 

“So do you!”

 

“Yeah but in a cool way.” Max grinned, flicking a chunk of bread at Isaac.

  
“There’s no such thing.”

 

They continued on like that, bickering in the easy way they’d learned how to over the course of their friendship, occasionally assaulting each other with their food. It was nearly Max’s curfew before they thought to check the time.

 

* * *

 

“I had a lot of fun!” Isaac said as he and Max walked along the darkened streets of Mayview.

 

“I did too.” Max grinned. “We should do this more often.”

 

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

 

“But I get to pick the place next time, Mr. Let’s go to a fancy restaurant while covered in mud and leaves,” Max told him as the two got to the corner store.

 

“Deal,” Isaac replied, leaning forward and gently, nervously kissing Max’s cheek. “See you at school!”

 

Isaac left Max redfaced and gaping at the door. 

 

That was unexpected.


End file.
